View full sizeJeff Schrier | The Saginaw NewsBoxer Joaquin Garcia Jr., 21, was named the 40th winner of the Piazza Award as the region's outstanding boxer. His father Joaquin Garcia Sr., 42, was a previous Piazza Award winner. His grandfather, Juan Garcia, 69, left, was also a standout boxer and now is a boxing coach.

SAGINAW - With each heavy right fist that 21-year-old Joaquin Garcia Jr. throws in the boxing ring, he not only aims at landing his own goals, but also those who came before him.

The Saginaw boxer carries with him three generations of Garcia boxing.

Garcia, who recently won a state championship at the 2011 Michigan Golden Gloves state finals, is now recognized as one of the best young boxers in Saginaw. Garcia won the 2011 Julius Piazza Memorial Trophy, handed out annually to an up-and-coming boxer in Saginaw.

His father also won the award in 1990, the year Joaquin Jr. was born.

Boxing has always been a part of the Garcia family. Joaquin's father was a prolific boxer in his own right and faced several world champions including Butterbean.

Joaquin's grandfather, Juan Garcia, is a well-known trainer in the area and has been training boxers for 34 years.

Even though boxing is popular throughout the Garcia family, the gloves weren't shoved into Joaquin's hands as a youngster. He grew to love the sport on his own.

"I've always pushed them to have accomplishments of their own," Joaquin Garcia Sr. said about Joaquin and his brother Valentin. "I never pushed it on them. I know how hard and dedicated you have to be. I backed them all the way."

"I love the sport," Joaquin Jr. said. "I was probably 5 or 6 years old when I started."

Joaquin Jr. sacrificed much to fulfill his boxing aspirations. After graduating from Ohio Technical College, Joaquin Jr. returned to Saginaw and dropped more than 20 pounds to get to his 165-pound fighting weight. While he often puts in 60 to 70-hour weeks working at Hemlock Semiconductor, he makes sure to reserve energy for the work he does after his shifts.

Following those long days, you can find him punching a bag.

"It takes a lot," he admitted. "After I get home, I go out to the gym. I can't really try to do a whole bunch. I just do what I can."

All of his focus and drive led him on a path to success in 2011.

Joaquin Jr. had redemption on his mind throughout the Golden Gloves tournament.

"I was happy because I fought in 2008 and I lost in the semifinals and I said that if I got back, I would do what I had to do to win," Joaquin Garcia Jr. said. "There was no way that I would end up losing."

Joaquin Jr. faced his younger brother Valentin on the road to the state championship. The two brothers spar and train together all the time, but fighting in the ring against each other was another story.

"That was hard," Joaquin Jr. said. "We were fighting, but we weren't trying to knock each other's heads off. We were getting booed. Hopefully next year, when he fights again, we are going to try and get out of the same weight class."

Finding a place to train fully has also been an issue.

"We had been working without a gym," Juan Garcia said. "We were working out of the house. We weren't really able to work real good. It's been hard. For a year and a half, we've been without a gym."

The Garcias have been working in a building behind the Blue Diamond Liquor Store, owned by Joe Al-bazzi, in Saginaw. In September, that space, which already has a few bags, should hold a ring and is set to open under the name of Garcia Saginaw Boxing Club. It will help provide Joaquin Jr., Valentin and other Saginaw boxers with a place to train and continue to get better.

Joaquin Garcia Sr. believes that this is just the start of a successful boxing career.

"I used to have butterflies when I fought," Joaquin Jr. said. "I didn't hear anything. I can hear my coach now and hear the crowd. It's all starting to come together."